Haunted

October 1, 2016

National Book Award finalist Braudy (English, Univ. of Southern California) continues his examination of the entwining of culture and sentiment. The author of Trying To Be Cool now examines the reflective horror monsters and myths that societies create. He succeeds in illuminating how sociological backgrounds from the past two centuries have given rise to fabled creatures, from Frankenstein and vampires to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and what underlying collective fears they represent. Unlike Terry Breverton's Breverton's Phantasmagoria, Braudy doesn't offer clipped encyclopedic entries but rather a more fluid and chronological discussion of how political, religious, and class struggles are expressed by identifying the "other" through horror, superstitions, and witch hunts. The author avoids interjecting personal opinions, instead sticking to historical facts and citing relevant artistic works from the respective time periods being discussed. VERDICT Braudy's qualified background and scholastic treatment of the topic make this book useful for academic researchers and serious historians, as well as more casual interested readers in pop culture.--Bonnie Parker, Southern Crescent Technical Coll., Thomaston, GA

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